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Opinion Letters Letters and Comments for April 29, 2009
Letters and Comments for April 29, 2009
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Flynn, Seydel, McCracken, Stamy Help for local school teachers To the Editor: School teachers spend on average around $1,200 out of their own pockets every year for basic classroom supplies and projects. And as education budgets and funding decrease, teachers may be spending even more. Nonprofit DonorsChoose.org, a website connecting donors to teachers with classroom needs, and U.S. Cellular are partnering to help public school teachers. Teachers can go to www.donorschoose.org and submit a funding request for a project or a classroom need. In markets where we do business, U.S. Cellular will donate $1 million to projects submitted for consideration before May 1. We’re asking teachers to post their requests as soon as possible because it does take a couple of days to process and U.S. Cellular will make the funding announcements during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 4-8. Unfortunately, there are no projects currently listed for the La Grande area and much like the lottery, you “can’t win, if you don’t play.” We encourage public school teachers in La Grande to visit www.donorschoose.org and submit their funding requests. As we all know, every dollar helps, so please spread the word. The education of our children is worth our time and efforts. Patrick Flynn sales manager, La Grande U.S. Cellular
Cheering up downtown To the Editor: Just a note of appreciation to the local downtown merchants with children’s artwork displayed in their business windows — thank you for your role in cheering up our long winter! The art displayed is from local children throughout Union County, collected in part by the Provider Resource Organization (in honor of Week of the Young Child) and the La Grande Arts Commission (as part of the recent Arts for All program). What a wonderful opportunity for kids and families to enjoy some time downtown while checking out the diverse pieces. A special kudos to David and Kimberly Williams who donated the space for the Children’s Art Gallery (April 14-17) on Adams Avenue. It was very special for the children who had artwork on display and got to bring friends and family to the temporary gallery. My family and I look forward to next year’s masterpieces! Tressa Seydel La Grande
To the Editor: The cattle industry has undoubtedly profoundly changed the ecology of the Americas to the detriment of biodiversity in native plants and animals. In an April 17 letter, “Doing things properly,” Lee Insko claimed not to find data verifying Peter Barry’s statements in his April 4 Community Comment, “Taking issue with cattle.” Reminds me of searching for data to explain population increases in a Catholic college library. For Insko and anyone else still looking for that information, try “The Western Range Revisited: Removing Livestock from Public Lands to Conserve Native Biodiversity.” It has about 80 pages just for documentation of her claims. The author, Debra L. Donahue, is professor of law, University of Wyoming, specializing in public land, water pollution and natural resources law. She has also worked for three federal land management agencies. Ron Fischer’s April 18 letter states that no one would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, referring to the environment as the goose and the ranchers as the goose’s owner. But Aesop’s fabled goose was killed in an attempt to get it all immediately. Killing the goose in hopes a larger immediate return is a documented human propensity. Delayed gratification isn’t easy and in a corporate society it is scoffed at. Our capitalist system is based on highest immediate return. That’s why the economy and planet are now in steep decline. Ever since people began farming and raising grazing animals the earth has been misused. Slash and burn agriculture, killing of predators and competing wild grazers, poisonous chemicals and unhealthy feedlot feeding practices are destroying both farmland and nature around the world. Poor agricultural practices are primary contributors to water and food shortages now creating widespread suffering and death. Mary McCracken La Grande
To the Editor: It seems to me there is a lot of misinformation being disseminated by many in the press concerning the recent Tea Party protests. Contrary to what many have reported, it was not a rally against one political party or against our current president but was a protest against wasteful government spending that will result in an unreasonable tax burden for us and our children. All political parties have participated in the idea they can fix everything wrong in our country with money we don’t have. I believe President Bush was wrong when he passed the first bank bailout. Now it appears that President Obama has opened the floodgates to spending billions more. When most congressmen do not even read the bill that authorizes the expenditures, something is seriously wrong. There is no money to fund these new projects. After the government prints the paper necessary to pay the bills, future taxpayers will be trying to pay the debt, which will be in the trillions. I firmly believe we live in the greatest nation on earth, but I don’t think any country has ever spent their way to prosperity with borrowed money. It can only be done by hard work, funding the principles specified by the founding fathers in the Constitution and by the grace of God. Congress and the president need to listen and react to the concerns being expressed by the folks who pay their taxes. Roger Stamy North Powder |
